Adjuvant Acupuncture Care for Breast Cancer Patients Experiencing Side Effects From Chemotherapy

Adjuvant Acupuncture Care for Breast Cancer Patients Experiencing Side Effects From Chemotherapy. A Randomised Controlled Pilot and Feasibility Study

Breast cancer patients report many symptoms while undergoing conventional care, including nausea/vomiting, fatigue, pain, depression and anxiety. Existing interventions to address these common side effects of treatment are limited. Patients diagnosed with cancer frequently seek complementary medicine (CAM), and there is a need to investigate potential effects of CAM therapies. This phased pilot and feasibility study has two aims:

1. Develop an acupuncture treatment protocol for adjuvant acupuncture care for breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy using structured interviews with established acupuncture teams in Norway.
2. Implement the treatment protocol in a pilot study to evaluate outcome measures, effect sizes and acceptability of acupuncture care delivered alongside conventional care.

Study results will support the design of future research; including a Phase III randomised controlled trial.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Females, 18 years or older with early stage breast cancer, no previous chemotherapy and no metastatic disease

Exclusion Criteria:

• Needle phobia, use of anticoagulant drugs, inability to comply with study regimen